Eden Helpful Cooking Preparation Tips

Here are several simple cooking suggestions, from our kitchen to yours, that we hope will be helpful and useful when preparing meals. Choosing the best quality ingredients, proper cleaning and storage of both uncooked and cooked food items are practical tips that we feel are essential in creating the most delicious and nutritious meals for you, your family and friends.

Purchase organic food whenever available. Know where your food came from and try to buy it from trusted sources.

For non organic produce, soak in a mild water and lemon, water and vinegar, or organic citrus based solution several minutes and then scrub. Peel any waxed, oiled or heavy sprayed produce.

Gently but firmly scrub, under cold water with a vegetable brush, the skin of vegetables such as carrots, parsnips, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, burdock, daikon radish, celery, winter and summer squash.

Soak leafy green vegetables and fresh mushrooms several minutes in cold water then wash each leaf or cap individually under running cold water prior to chopping and cooking.

Wash all fresh fruit in a bowl of cold water or with a vegetable brush prior to eating or cooking. Peel all waxed or heavily sprayed fruit.

Sort through all uncooked grains, beans, and seeds and remove any stones, stems or badly damaged beans prior to washing.

Wash all uncooked grains, beans and seeds in a bowl of cold water 1 to 3 times, rinse and drain before cooking. It is not necessary to wash organic cracked or refined grains such as cous cous, bulgur or polenta.

Wash the sea vegetables Hiziki, Arame, and Wakame, uncooked, 1 to 2 times in a bowl of cold water before soaking and cooking. Eden Kombu only needs a quick rinse under cold water. Eden Nori, Sushi Nori, Instant Wakame Flakes, Agar Agar Bars and Agar Flakes do not need washing.

Soaking water from Eden Dried Daikon, Eden Dried Lotus, Eden Shiitake, and Eden Kombu may all be reserved and used as part of the water measurement for recipes.

Store all dry food items such as grains, beans, seeds, nuts, and sea vegetables in tightly sealed containers, in a cool, dark and dry storage area. Exposure of these items to excessive heat, light and humidity may cause spoilage.

Look for bright, crisp, firm produce to ensure better flavor and more nutritious food. Try to shop for fresh produce on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

Store all oils, vinegars, shoyu, tamari and miso in a cool, dark area, or refrigerate when appropriate.